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Carol J. Michel

Award winner author of gardening humor books

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May Dreams Gardens

Life in a Perennial Border: A One Act Play

July 2, 2011 By Carol Michel 16 Comments

Life in a Perennial Border
A One Act Play
By
Carol M.

Cast of Characters

Coneflower ……………Echinacea purpurea
Aster ………………….. Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
Perennial Sweet Pea .Lathyrus latifolius, an unwelcome visitor in the garden
Daylilies ……………… Assorted daylilies
Lily …………………… Lilium henryi
Daisy ………………… Leucanthemum x superbum
Thistle ………………. A mean thug of a weed

TIME: Summer
SETTING: A perennial border known as Plopper’s Field

ACT ONE
SCENE 1

(Several flowers are talking to one another on a typical morning in the garden.)

CONEFLOWERS

Good morning all you flowers! Oh, what a beautiful day! The birds are singing and the breeze is cool. We coneflowers are pretty excited to be blooming. we are so pretty. We are the prettiest flowers in the garden!

DAISY

You coneflowers are a bunch of show offs.  We daisies are the prettiest things in the garden right now. Plus everyone knows our name! Daisy! Ha!

DAYLILY

Excuse me… Henry’s Lily up there.  Are you dropping your pollen on us? You know you are. That’s just gross, stop that!

(A rabbit passes through,  all the flowers stop chattering hoping not to be noticed, the light fades.)

SCENE 2

(A couple of thugs show up in the garden at the first light of a new day.)
THISTLE

Scooch over flowers! Ha ha.  I’m puttng down my roots and settling in for a good long while here in Ploppers’ Field. I don’t see any gardeners around to throw me out.  Oh, yeah! Give me some room, baby, I’ve got stickers all over me that you don’t even want to think about touching!  I’m going to like here!

PERENNIAL SWEET PEA

I know what you mean, Thistle! I’m not supposed to be here either, but here I am. And I’m flowering! But oh dear! Is that a Japanese beetle on my bloom?! It is! Help me! Gardener!! Help me!!

THISTLE

Shut up, Perennial Sweet Pea! Do you really want the gardener to come out here? If she shows up, its compost bin time for us.  So be quiet! You are going to ruin a good thing here.

(Light fades and the flowers slowly close up to mark the end of another day.)

SCENE 3

(The lights come back up in the perennial border, and we see a gardener come through with pruners and a hoe.)

ASTER

Quiet everyone, here comes the gardener. And she’s got pruners and hoes with her.  Remember the last time she showed up with pruners? She cut me back near in half, but I’ve grown out of that and look half way decent again. I hope she doesn’t do that again. I’m thinking about forming some flower buds here and I don’t want to have to do it twice.  But she’s more than welcome if she gets rid of some of the riff-raff that have shown up around here. Yes, I’m talking to you, Thistle, and you, Perennial Sweet Pea, and Dandelions, Chickweed, and anyone else who doesn’t belong here!

(The gardener begins to trim back dead blooms, pull out the perennial sweet peas and thistle, hoe and fix up the perennial border. The lights fade.)

SCENE 4
(The lights come back up and we see all the flowers gently nodding in the breeze.)
DAYLILY

Isn’t it great to be a perennial in Plopper’s Field? Life is sure easy. Grow, flower, fade for winter, grow, flower, fade for winter. I could do this for years here in Ploppers’ Field, as long as that gardener shows up every once in a while and cleans up the place.  We may look a mess, but we aren’t really a mess as long as we are deadheaded occasionally and the gardener keeps out the weeds. Ah yes, this is the place for us.

(Light gradually fades as the flowers nod in agreement and enjoy another day listening to the birds sing in the tree above.)

THE END

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: one act plays, perennials

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dee/reddirtramblings says

    July 2, 2011 at 12:51 pm

    Good thing the gardener finally got out there. Are sweet peas really thugs in Indiana gardens? Here, they won't grow. Thistles on the other hand . . . .

    Reply
  2. Carol Michel says

    July 2, 2011 at 12:57 pm

    Dee, I clarified it… PERENNIAL sweet peas are thugs here, regular annual sweet peas are lovely to grow.

    Reply
  3. Karin / Southern Meadows says

    July 2, 2011 at 2:48 pm

    Such a cute post! I often imagine these conversations amongst the flowers in my garden! Crazy gardener I am! Your blooms are beautiful!

    Reply
  4. Asha Ram says

    July 2, 2011 at 4:28 pm

    Clap Clap… I liked the narration!

    Reply
  5. Lisa at Greenbow says

    July 2, 2011 at 5:55 pm

    It is good that the gardener came to the rescue of the flowers wanted in ploppers field. No more thugs. Bravo.

    Reply
  6. Vetsy says

    July 2, 2011 at 6:26 pm

    This post made me smile, and giggle. What a fun walk through your lovely garden that included a funny little story.

    I loved it..

    Reply
  7. compost in my shoe says

    July 2, 2011 at 10:56 pm

    I imagine you singing a big song, as the basket in your hand is flung up and down, your gingham skirt filled with life as the wind has its way.

    Reply
  8. Cathy and Steve says

    July 3, 2011 at 2:05 am

    What a cute play! And I am also glad that the gardener came to the rescue! I so enjoy your humor!

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    July 3, 2011 at 6:00 pm

    Love your creativity. Happy 4th! Sue

    Reply
  10. Rock rose says

    July 3, 2011 at 11:05 pm

    You are so creative Carol. All I could think, at the end, was about Bill and Ben the Flowerpot Men and their friend the little weed. A children's program in England 60 years ago. 'BoBo little weed' for the little weed knew that the gardener had finished his lunch, and……, I can see the gardener has really been doing her job. Everything looks lovely.

    Reply
  11. greggo says

    July 4, 2011 at 12:14 am

    bye bye sweat peaaa

    Reply
  12. Anonymous says

    July 4, 2011 at 1:24 am

    This was a cute post, sorry play, with all the floral actors. Sorry the sweet pea had to go, they are here but not so invasive.

    Reply
  13. Gardening in a Sandbox says

    July 4, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    I've got a groundhog that I can send you. He will deadhead for you in a big way. Love the post. V

    Reply
  14. Rose says

    July 4, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    Bravo! I always like a play with a happy ending, especially when the villains get their just rewards:)

    Reply
  15. Yael says

    July 5, 2011 at 7:17 pm

    LOL. Happy flowers…sad little thistle and sweet pea on compost heap. Good the gardener heroine tends her flowers. Very cute post.

    Yael

    Reply
  16. Melissa says

    July 6, 2011 at 3:03 pm

    The heroine saves the day again. I wonder if that means the flowers will start arguing again over who is prettier.

    Reply

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